Alleged suspect in LeRoy ATM theft makes first appearance in court
Jan. 29—A man accused in the alleged theft from a LeRoy bank ATM earlier this month has appeared in court.
Markell Deshawn Kinney, 21, of Houston, Texas, made a first appearance in Mower County District Court Tuesday and faces four felony counts related to the case: theft, damage to property, receiving stolen property and fleeing a peace officer.
He is currently being held on $100,000 bail or bond with no conditions and $50,000 with conditions.
The incident in question took place on Jan. 11 at around 3:20 a.m., when Mower County Sheriff's Office deputies were dispatched to the First State Bank located in the 100 block of Main Street West in LeRoy for an ATM alarm.
According to the court complaint, the responding deputy observed two vehicles traveling west on County Road 6, one of which matched the description of a silver, four-door truck witnessed by an individual living near the scene who was woken up by the commotion.
The deputy stated in the complaint that he witnessed the vehicles at around 3:33 a.m. and that both vehicles turned south on 670th Avenue as the deputy attempted to catch up to the vehicles. As the SUV slowed for a curve, the truck went around it and continued on as the road turned into State Line Road.
State Line Road eventually turns into gravel and the deputy stated he had lost sight of the vehicle briefly until coming upon it not long after having flipped onto its top.
A black male, determined later to be Kinney, was seen crawling out of the passenger side window of the wrecked truck. With gun drawn, the deputy gave commands to Kinney to stop and show his hands, but Kinney stumbled behind the truck.
The deputy repositioned and tried to determine if Kinney was still in the truck, but noted that he had fled. Driving in the direction Kinney was deemed to have fled turned up nothing and further searches of the area also failed to find the suspect.
Later in the morning, deputies were alerted to a man that was seen walking around in Stacyville, Iowa, just over a mile from where the truck had been located. Upon arrival, deputies discovered that the man identified as Kinney had been apprehended by Mitchell County Sheriff's Office deputies.
Video from the scene allegedly showed three males wearing gloves and white face masks approach the ATM and use pry bars to open it up. A chain attached to the truck was attached to the ATM and used to rip the machine off the concrete.
The video also showed the individuals roll the ATM over and reach for the ATM cassette, which holds the cash. It was stated in the complaint that according to the bank, the cassette was likely holding between $20,000 and $50,000.
It was also estimated that the value of the ATM was $35,763.
A deputy later discovered parts that looked like the cassette while driving State Line Road around 760th Avenue.
Through dealer documentation found in the truck deputies were also able to determine that the truck used was a 2002 Ford F350 crew cab from Albertson Auto Center in Spillville, Iowa. The owner of the dealership confirmed the vehicle, with the license plate "KAR" — also visible in the video footage — had been on their lot and that nobody had permission to be driving the vehicle.
Kinney is due next in court for an omnibus hearing on Feb. 24.
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